


A Town Called Storybrooke

by mayawrites95 (mayarox95)



Series: Wish Upon A Star [200]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Family, Fluff, Foster Care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayarox95/pseuds/mayawrites95
Summary: When Emma moves to Storybrooke from Portland, she doesn't expect to last long in the small town. It's just another foster home who will eventually give her up like everyone else. But when she meets her neighbour David Nolan, she can't help but feel safe. But what she isn't prepared for is for herself to grow attached to the town and the occupants, despite her foster father and brother not wanting her to be in the way. And what is it with Killian Jones that makes her want to know him better?





	1. Welcome to Storybrooke

She arrived in Storybrooke on a Wednesday. Not that she really noticed when they arrived. She had been listening to music, trying to tune out the droning of her social worker, who tried to start up conversation with her at any given instance. She knew it probably wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but she knew how it worked. Social workers didn’t actually care about those in the foster system; there were far too many children in the system for that. There were too many of them who were unwanted and unloved for social workers to care about any of them specifically.

“This is going to be good for you,” the social worker said, the moment they pulled up outside the house. She had taken her head phones off because she knew that the lady was probably eager to get rid of her and get back to her life in Portland. Not that Emma thought she would be seeing the city any time soon.

She knew what it meant, to be moving out here to the middle of nowhere. Eleven foster families in sixteen years, three group homes, and a year of living on the streets basically proved that had exhausted all her options, and that no one in Portland wanted her or cared enough to house her any more.

It wasn’t that she was a difficult child. She tried to hold her tongue for the most part, and never got into physical fights. But some people just weren’t meant to be loved, and Emma Swan was one of them. She had been found on the side of the road after all; if her own parents didn’t care enough about her to make sure she would be taken care of, then how could anyone else love her?

And as she got out of the car, carrying the small duffle bag that held her possessions, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was even a point of unpacking this time. It wasn’t as if she would be staying here long. Whether it be days, weeks, or months, it was only a matter of time before the Spencers realized they too didn’t want her nor did they want to house her any more.

“Emma, this is Albert Spencer,” the social worker said, as she introduced Emma to the stern looking older gentleman standing in front of her. “He’s the district attorney in the area.”

“It’s good to meet you, Emma,” Spencer said, appraising her. “I’m sure you will make a wonderful addition to the family.”

“Do you have any children?” she asked, trying to be polite. It wouldn’t do any good for her to alienate her new foster family within moments of meeting her, god forbid they decide to load her back into the car and ship her off to some other family. Not that she would have minded, but it had been a particularly long day, and she really wasn’t in the mood to get back into the car for a few more hours.

“A son,” Albert said, softening ever so slightly, that she almost missed it. “James. He’ll be in your grade at school. I was worried he would be lonely, granted the hours I can work at times, and I wanted him to have some company after the loss of my wife last year.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, softly, acknowledging his loss.

“Well Emma,” the social worker said, “I see that you’re getting settled in, so I’ll leave you in his capable hands. Remember, I’m only ever a phone call away.”

As the lady got back into the car and pulled away, Mr. Spencer led her into the house, which by far, was one of the biggest she had ever had lived in. Not many foster kids could say they were staying at a house with a formal dining room, a pool, an entertainment room, and half a dozen bathrooms.

“This will be your room,” Mr. Spencer said, as he opened the door to a medium sized room for the house, which still was bigger than anything she had stayed in. “I trust you can settle your stuff in. But before I leave you, Emma, it is imperative that during your time here, you act with the utmost respect, especially in the public eye. I am running for Senator this year, and I do not need anything or anyone screwing up my campaign.”

And if Emma was wondering just what she was doing in such a fancy house before, it finally clicked. She was a publicity stunt, designated to bring in positive ratings from the public. No one really cared about her still, she was just meant to make her new foster father look good.

“I understand,” she said, even though Spencer had already closed the door to her room, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

She put away her clothes, as she took a deep breath. She might be a publicity stunt, but at least she was staying in a nice home. And while there was no certainty of just how long she would be staying, at the very least she would enjoy her time here. While Spencer seemed cold and distant, he was far from one of the worst foster fathers she had seen.

She met James a few moments later, when he opens the door and glances her over in a way similar to what her father had. He has an air of arrogance hanging over him like a cloud, and she can’t help but want to have nothing to do with him.

“So you’re my new foster sister,” he said, in an unrevealing tone. “Make sure you clean yourself up before you get spotted in public. The last thing anyone needs is for you to be seen in rags and us to be accused to maltreating you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, in a dry tone.

“Don’t expect us to be friends because you live here now,” he told her after a moment, “This isn’t some Cinderella story where you get a new home and clothes and all of a sudden your life has changed forever. In the public eye we’ll be a wonderful loving family, but that doesn’t mean I want anything to do with you nor do I want you have anything to do with me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just some girl living in my house.”

“I understand,” she said, maintaining a cool tone. It wasn’t as if she didn’t already expect that. She had realized what her role was already, so hoping for a relationship with the foster brother she had just gained was unrealistic.

“Good,” he said, as he left the room nodding at her.

She counted until five, waiting until she was absolutely certain that he was nowhere near in earshot before she ran out down the stairs and she exited the house. She looked around as she tried to gather her thoughts and take a moment outside the house she had just moved into.

She closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts, and when she opened them, she spotted a boy who looked to be about her age across the street, who started to approach her.

“Did you just move in?” he asked, looking at her with a smile. “Mr. Spencer mentioned that you would be staying with them.”

“I did,” she said with a nod, unsure of what to make of him.

“My name is David Nolan,” he told her as he extended a hand and smile to her, “I live across the street, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“Emma Swan,” she said smiling slightly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emma,” he told her, and she felt a sense of warmth spread over her. She hadn’t had many friends in her life, but there was something about David that made her want to start. “I won’t bother you too much, but feel free to come find me at school tomorrow if you need anything. I’m sure your first day will feel intimidating, and a friendly face might be nice to help you get through it. Of course, don’t feel obliged to come find me either, just know that if you wanted to, I’m here.”

“Thank you,” she smiled genuinely. It had been by far one of the nicest interactions she had in a long time, and while she was still slightly wary of David, she couldn’t help but sense his sincerity in his words.

“Of course,” he told her, and her mind wandered for a quick second, wondering what it might have been like to have David as a foster brother instead of James. But shaking her head, she stopped the train of thought before it even began. It would do her no good to hope for something of the sort, when there was little to no chance of it ever occurring. Instead, she would simply be grateful that she had a decent enough family to stay with for the time being.

 

* * *

She’s not really nervous about starting school; she had the first day act down pat, what with experiencing it so many times before. And knowing that there were people like David who were willing to help her around definitely didn’t hurt.

She would be lying if she said she believed that they would be friends right away. Emma didn’t make friends for a reason; she always left. She had learned early on that making friends was hard, not in the literal sense, but due to the fact that she was met with sadness each time she moved for all the people she would be leaving behind.

But there was something warm about David that she couldn’t help but feel drawn to.

So as she stood on the front steps, taking a deep breath, she decided to make her way in.

“Emma?” she heard a soft voice say. She turned around and saw a girl with a dark pixie cut smiling at her, “You must be Emma Swan.”

“That’s me,” she said with a dry smile. In a town as small as Storybrooke, she wasn’t all that surprised that people knew her before she even arrived. Hell, it probably didn’t help that that Spencer would have advertised her coming as a way to gain more public morale.

“My name is Mary Margaret,” she said with a wide grin. “Would you like me to show you around the school? I’m sure it can be daunting, moving to a new place and not knowing anyone.”

“That would be nice, thank you,” she said with a smile. She followed the bubbly girl up the stairs and into the school, listening as she talked animatedly about the school and the people in it. She was right when she had assumed that the town was close, and from the way Mary Margaret talked about it, it seemed as if everyone had known everyone else from birth. Storybrooke High didn’t have a lot of new students, but between David and Mary Margaret, she was feeling welcome already.

At the very least, her time here wouldn’t be completely.

Thankfully for her, Mary Margaret is in her morning classes, and she happily showed her to the room.

When the time came for class to start, the teacher, Mr Leroy, called her up to the front to introduce herself.

“Hi, my name is Emma, and I’m from Portland,” she said, in a memorized tone. It was a line she had given so many times before, and one she was sure she would have to give so many times more in the future. She could hear the whispers in the background as others tried to figure her out; what her story was, and why she was staying with the Spencers. She was sure they probably knew about her being a foster child, and if they hadn’t, they would soon. It was always only a matter of time before the truth got out to others anyways.

There was a seat in the middle of the class, and Emma moved from the front to take it. She could see a dark haired guy sitting beside her staring at her carefully, and she gave him a look.

But instead of looking away as she had hoped or expected, he grinned at her brightly before winking.

The teacher proceeded to lecture for the remainder of the period before stopping just before the time was up.

“Okay, so it appears that Emma has joined us on a good day, as I am about to assign a project, and her presence makes for even pairs. This assignment will be due by the end of the semester, but don’t think you can leave it to the night before. The person on your immediate right will be your partner. Please join them so I can inform you of the assignment,” the short man said in a grumpy tone.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Swan,” she heard the same guy as before say in a deep voice as he slid beside her. “Killian Jones, or your new biology partner for the semester.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said in a short tone. It wasn’t that he was impolite, or that he gave her a weird vibe. It was that there was something about the way he was looking at her that made her want to run from the room. Something deep and soul searching. And something she definitely didn’t want to get involved with.”

“Is this the new girl?” she heard a dark haired girl who looked like she was a few years older than them both say as she turned around, and linked her hand through Killian’s. She was looking at Emma with a distrustful expression, and safe to say, Emma realized that she was probably Killian’s girlfriend.

“Ay Milah, she is, as she just introduced herself to all of us,” Killian said in a dry voice.

She felt herself place a fake smile on her face as she at the nodded at the girl.

The teacher called their attention once more just then as he said, “For this assignment, you are to both prepare a five page paper on the effects of any poison of your choice and then present it to the class. If you have any questions, please see me. That will be all for today.”

She stood quickly as she found Mary Margaret and another girl she had been introduced to, Ruby, to make their way to their next class, and to leave Killian Jones behind so she could try and push him out of her mind.

Lunch came quickly, and she found herself in the cafeteria, seated between the two girls she had just met today.

“So what did you think?” Mary Margaret asked her before taking a bite of her potatoes.

“It was a pretty average morning,” she shrugged, “Nothing eventful really happened, that would stand out. But it’s a nice school and everyone else has been welcoming in this town.”

“Who else have you met?” Ruby asked her curiously.

“I talked to one of my neighbours yesterday,” she mentioned, “David Nolan?”

Ruby gave Mary Margaret a look, and she turned red slightly.

“What did you think of him?” she asked her.

“He’s nice,” she said, starting at the two girls curiously. “A real charming person.”

“Prince Charming,” Ruby said nudging Mary Margaret.

“Emma,” David said as he came from behind them and sat beside her. “I see you’ve met Ruby and Mary Margaret. You’ve been in good hands.”

“I have,” she said, smiling at the two girls. “They’ve been helpful.”

“It’s all been Mary Margaret,” Ruby laughed. “She’s been a stellar student, showing Emma all the ropes.”

“I’m sure she has been,” David said warmly looking at her, “She’s always been like a leader at this school.”

“A leader?” she heard a laugh, “More like a busy body no one ever wanted around.”

David’s face hardened as she looked up to see a girl in heels so high Emma couldn’t be sure just how she was still walking. And she wasn’t surprised to see Milah, the girl who had all but shot daggers at her earlier for being partnered with Killian, behind her giving her a look. Her foster brother, James seemed to be disinterested as he pretended she didn’t exist.

“Regina,” David said coolly, “No need to be rude.”

Regina ignored him, as she looked straight at Emma, “Why am I not surprised you took in the new deject. You always did try to fix things that were broken. Word of advice, Ms. Swan. Stay out of everyone’s way if you know what’s good for you.” And with that, she turned around, taking her group of friends with her.

To her surprise however, Killian stayed behind.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?” Milah said, glancing between Emma and her boyfriend.

“In a second, Love,” Killian said, as he sat at the table beside them.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” David said with a sigh, “She’s going to take it out on you later and then you’re going to come complain to me about it.”

“You’re my friend, David,” Killian said with a shrug. “She’s my girlfriend. Not my bloody keeper. If I want to sit with you for a bit, then it’s my choice.”

“What’s Regina’s problem anyway?” Emma asked, as Regina left earshot.

“She doesn’t exactly like me,” Snow said softly, and Ruby snorted.

“That’s putting it lightly. She hates you,” Ruby corrected.

“Why?” she asked, wondering if Regina was nothing more than a mean girl, or if there was some sort of longstanding feud that she was unaware of.

“She thinks I ruined her life,” Mary Margaret said, looking down.

“Did you?”

“Of course not,” David defended, looking at Mary Margaret softly.

“I did though,” she told David. “Not on purpose, but I did. Regina was seeing a guy, Daniel, whose family worked for Regina’s mother, the Mayor. And Regina wanted to keep it quiet because she thought her mother wouldn’t approve. I disagreed, and thought she should have an open relationship with her mother and tell her the truth. But Cora, Regina’s mother, wasn’t happy. She thought Daniel was beneath her, and gave his family a lot of money to move away and make sure Daniel was nowhere near her daughter. And his parents accepted.”

“Still, she should blame her mother,” Emma said, confused. “She’s the one in the wrong, not you.”

“It’s easier to hate me than it is her,” Mary Margaret said. “But let’s not talk about the past. What’s your next class, Emma?”

“Calculus,” she said with a sigh as she glanced at her schedule.

“David has that,” Mary Margaret brightened, “I’m sure he can show you to class.”

“It would be my honour,” David said grinning, as he winked at Mary Margaret, causing her to smile back at him.

“I should get going too,” Killian said softly, “I’ve been gone long enough and Milah’s not going to be happy. Swan, I’ll see you soon so we can work on our project.”

She stood up and said bye to her new friends as she and David headed towards their next class.

“So you and Mary Margaret?” she asked, nudging him when they left the cafeteria.

“What about me and her?” David asked, glancing at her, “We’re friends.”

“And nothing more? It didn’t seem that way,” she said in disbelief.

“We’re friends,” he said with a sigh, “Good friends, and I don’t want to ruin that because of my feelings.”

“Even if she feels the same way?” Emma asked him. “Because she blushed when your name came up. I’m pretty sure she likes you too.”

“I doubt it,” David said, “But it’s a nice hope.”

“I think you’re wrong, but okay,” Emma said, deciding to drop to subject. “What about Killian and Milah, what’s their deal?”

“Killian’s been my friend since we were five,” David said, “But Milah’s Regina’s friend, and by default, not ours. So it drives her crazy that Killian prefers talking to us and not her.”

“Sounds petty to me,” Emma said with a shrug. “You shouldn’t try and control who your significant others are friends with.”

“Their relationship isn’t any of my concern,” David sighed, “As much as I dislike the two of them together, she makes him happy, and that’s enough for me.”

“I understand that,” she said with a sigh, “Thank you, by the way. Between you, and the girls, I’ve felt welcome at this school, and it’s been nice.”

“Of course,” David said with a grin, “Do you have plans after school? You should come over for a bit and we can hang out. I’m sure my mother would love to meet you.”

“I’ll have to check with Mr. Spencer, but I should be free to come,” she grinned.

“Sounds like a plan,” he smiled, “Also word of advice, if she offers you food it’s easier to accept it than it is to try and be nice and say no. She’ll only stop once she knows you’ve been well fed.”

“Sounds good to me,” she smiled. Maybe Storybrooke wasn’t so bad after all.

* * *

 

She had made sure with Spencer before leaving, which was all of her asking, and him giving her a dismissive nod, much to her happiness. It wasn’t as if she was surprised however. She was more than used to foster parents being happy she was staying out of the way and better yet, eating at other people’s homes and spending their money instead.

Emma walked outside and gave David a thumbs up as she headed across the street, leading him to smile brightly at her.

“I’m glad Mr Spencer said you could come over,” David grinned at her, “My mother has been excited that you were coming over since I mentioned it.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” she said softly.

“Any time,” he said nudging her. “Now let’s go introduce you to my mother.”

She laughed nervously as she followed him into the house, and was immediately met with the smell of cookies.

“Mother, this is Emma,” he said, as they walked into the kitchen to see a middle aged woman with curly hair and a bright smile standing there with a fresh pan of baked goods. “Emma, my mother, Ruth Nolan.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, as she raised her hand out formally.

“None of that,” Ruth said, as she placed the tray down and pulled Emma into a hug. She stiffened slightly, unused to the intimate contact, but relaxed after a few seconds. “It’s nice to meet you too, Emma. Now have a seat. I almost have dinner ready, and it’ll give me a chance to get to know you. Have a cookie or two until then.”

She smiled softly, as she sat down at one of the bar stools, and David joined her.

“So how was your first day?” Ruth asked, as she turned back to one of the pots on the stove to stir it.

Emma looked at David, “It was nice,” she said after a second, “I met a few people who helped me find all my classes. Thankfully, I don’t seem behind in any of them yet, though, which is nice.”

“She met Mary Margaret and Ruby,” David added in, “Mary Margaret helped her this morning and I showed Emma to her afternoon classes.”

“Lovely girl, that Mary Margaret, wouldn’t you say Emma?” Ruth commented off-handedly, as she glanced at her.

“She really is,” Emma said, giving David a pointed look.

He groaned, “Please not this again,” he said burying his head in his hands. “I told you, we’re friends.”

“Which I don’t understand why,” Emma commented, biting into a cookie. “Clearly you’re both into each other. She’s a nice girl, David, I don’t get why you don’t even give it a shot. And Mrs Nolan, these cookies are amazing.”

Ruth laughed at that, “I like you, Emma Swan. Telling it as it is. See David, even Emma, who’s been here for all of a day can tell that you and Mary Margaret would make a lovely couple. And Emma, call me Ruth dear. Mrs Nolan is too stuffy for my liking.”

“Sure thing,” Emma grinned, as she took another cookie.

“No more after this,” Ruth warned her, “I want you to have space for dinner. But after that, feel free to have all the cookies you want.”

“I already regret introducing the two of you,” David sighed. “I shouldn’t feel overpowered in my own home.”

“Stop that,” Ruth swatted him with her spatula. “Emma, you are more than welcome here. Between the two of us, I could use another female around here. David, you’re wonderful, and I love you, but you know that I always wanted a daughter.”

David gave Emma a fake hurt look, “I know. She reminds me every day,” he said theatrically, causing Emma to laugh.

“Alas, it wasn’t in the cards for me,” Ruth gave her a wink. “Now Emma, how have you been finding the Spencers? Have they been treating you alright?”

“They have,” she said honestly, “I haven’t really interacted with either of them all that much. But as far as foster homes go, they’re one of the better ones.”

“Have you had a lot of bad homes?” Ruth asked her, looking at her softly.

She felt herself harden up, as it wasn’t a subject she talked about freely with others.

“Mother,” David said warningly, “Emma, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m sure it’s not an easy subject for you to talk about.”

“It’s okay,” Emma sighed. “I’ve had my fair share of foster homes. Some were better than others. But I’ve survived this far.”

“I’m sorry,” Ruth said, sympathetically. “Let me know if there ever is anything that I can do for you. You don’t have to be alone here.”

“No you don’t,” David looked at her softly, “You’re a good person, Emma.”

“You barely even know me,” she swallowed as she looked at the both of them. “Why are you both being so nice to me? I can’t offer you anything.”

“You don’t need to,” Ruth placed a hand over hers. “You, yourself, are more than enough. Emma, you’re right, we don’t know you. But that doesn’t mean we can’t tell that you’re a sincere person. And I can tell that I want to keep you around here. Any time you want to talk, or feel uncomfortable, our home is always welcome to you.”

She smiled at them both, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the interaction.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s a very nice gesture.”

“Any time,” David nudged her.

“Now,” Ruth clapped her hands, “Dinner’s ready so go wash up you two.”                  

“Race you?” David asked, looking at her.

“I don’t even know where the bathroom is,” Emma gave him a look.

“Upstairs, to your right,” Ruth called out, and gave her a wink.

Emma grinned as she took off, leaving David scrambling behind her.

“You cheated,” David complained as she arrived back downstairs first. “No one even said ‘go’. It was hardly a fair fight.”

“You snooze, you lose,” she said, grinning widely at him, as she sat down at the table, with a plate of spaghetti in front of her.

“Cheater,” he commented, but smiled back to let her know he wasn’t all that mad at her.

She laughed, as she dug into the pasta, and conversed with the Nolans. And when it was finally time for her to leave, Ruth made her promise to come back for dinner as soon as she could. She readily agreed, as David walked her across the street, promising to meet her first thing the next morning so they could walk to school together.

* * *

 

It was her fifth day of school and safe to say she found herself being drawn into the group of friends she had made. So much so, that she had been fully engrossed in conversation to the point where she didn’t see where she was going.

And ran straight into someone, causing her books to fly everywhere.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, scrambling to gather up her papers, without looking up. “I should have been looking where I was going.”

“No, it’s all my fault,” she heard a voice say, causing her to look up and be met with a pair of dark brown eyes. “Neal Gold, and I’m the one who was didn’t see where I was going. I was so occupied in my thoughts, and I should have been paying more attention.”

“You’re being nice,” she said as she handed him his notebook.

“Yeah I’m a real Prince Charming,” Neal said with a laugh as he helped her up. “I’ll see you around, Emma.”

She felt herself turn red slightly, as she tried to hide her face while she, Mary Margaret, and Ruby continued to the cafeteria.

“Emma!” Ruby squealed causing Emma to jump.

“What?” she asked in shock, looking at her.

“You were totally flirting with him!” Mary Margaret said, grinning at her.

“I was not,” Emma defended herself, as they joined David at the cafeteria table.

“Flirting with who?” David asked with a frown as he looked at them both carefully.

“Emma here was flirting with Neal Gold,” Ruby said, giving him a conspiring look.

“I was not! I handed him his books and he helped me up,” Emma rolled her eyes. “Hardly flirting.”

“Maybe not, but you should have seen his face,” Mary Margaret gave her a knowing look. “He’s interested.”

“He doesn’t even know me,” Emma pointed out.

“But maybe he wants to,” Ruby told her. “You never know how these things work out.”

“I don’t like it,” David said looking pensive. “I’ve never liked Neal. There’s something off about him, Emma. You shouldn’t get involved with him.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she said dryly. “Don’t worry, _Dad_. I’ll stay away from boys.”

“Good,” David said causing Mary Margaret and Ruby to sigh.

“I don’t understand the two of you,” Ruby said with a groan. “It’s like you’re related and just as hopeless at love.”

“I’d say that makes us winning,” Emma said, and David grinned as he gave her a high five.

“Definitely winning,” David said causing her to laugh. “But I resent being called ‘dad’. Maybe your smooth, smart, and attractive, older brother or something, but definitely not dad.”

“Fine, older brother,” Ruby threw her hands up, “You’re both losers, you know that?”

And with that, the table broke out into laughter, but not before Emma noticed Mary Margaret smiling secretly as she looked at David.

* * *

 

She finds herself over at the Nolans more days than not. It isn’t that the Spencers are absent, or that they want nothing to do with her, because Mr Spencer did still need to parade her around town every now and then to show what a generous man he was to take her in. She ate dinner with her foster family every Sunday where Mr Spencer would ask about her life to ensure she was behaving well in school and obtaining decent grades. His campaign was picking up, and the media was starting to pick up more and more articles about him and his family life.

And it isn’t an unexpected thing for her to be sitting at the kitchen table at the Nolans, doing her homework while munching on cookies with David. She feels guilty from time to time, for intruding on the family, but David has told her repeated that he wasn’t sick of her presence and rather did like keeping her around. She had only been in Storybrooke for a few weeks, but she already fel

“You need a haircut,” Ruth remarked, drawing both of their attentions, as she looked at David. “Your hair is getting long again.”

“Maybe I like it,” David defended, as he patted his hair. “It’s not even that bad.”

Emma snorted, “You look like a shepherd. It’s time for a haircut, David.”

“It looks fine!” David crossed his arms as he stared at the two of them. “I’m old enough to know when I want a haircut and when I don’t.”

“With great power comes great responsibility,” Emma said in a teasing voice.

“You really are like the little sister I never wanted,” David remarked, and Emma stuck her tongue out at him.

“Be nice!” Ruth scolded as he swatted David with a flier, “Emma don’t listen to him, darling. He’s acting like a child.”

“Fine, I’ll get the haircut,” David threw his hands up.

“You know, Mary Margaret was saying that she liked you better with shorter hair,” Emma said offhandedly as she wrote another line for her English essay that she had been working on.

“She did?” David perked up as he looked at her questioningly.

“She did,” Emma confirmed, “We were talking about it and she brought it up. She definitely likes you better with shorter hair.”

“I take I back,” David said with a grin. “You’re the best little sister I never wanted.”

“I’m glad you feel the need to throw in the last part,” Emma commented dryly as she glanced at him.

“Any time,” David said as flicked her lightly.

“You know I’m not actually your sister right,” she rolled her eyes, “I can leave any time I want to.”

“You could,” David confirmed, “But why would you want to when you clearly enjoy hanging out with me oh so much?”

“You got me,” she said in a monotone voice, as her eyes twinkled.

“But in all honestly,” David said looking at her, “I like having you around, Emma.”

“And I like being here,” She swallowed feeling slightly vulnerable.

“Good,” David gave her a smile.

* * *

 

Despite David’s warnings about staying away from Neal Gold, Emma couldn’t help but find herself staring after him from afar during classes. He was popular, that much was for sure. His father was an extremely rich business man who owned half the town, and with that much money came a lot of power.

Which was probably why she felt her heart race when she saw Neal leaning against her locker one day before lunch.

“Emma,” Neal said, giving her a warm smile. “I was waiting for you.”

“You were?” she asked in shock as she looked at him.

“I was,” Neal confirmed, “I came to talk to you actually,” he said looking a little sheepish.

“About?” she couldn’t help but ask him curiously. What could Neal Gold possibly have to ask her about?

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” he asked her softly.

“Probably not a lot,” she said honestly, “Maybe some homework? I don’t really have plans.”

“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” he asked her, and she felt her eyes widen.

“I would like that,” she said breathlessly, smiling at him.

His face broke out into a smile at that, and she felt herself melt slightly.

“Great, I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said, giving her another smile before walking away.

The smile stayed on her face, as she walked into the cafeteria, straight to the table that her friends had taken.

“What has you in such a good mood?” Mary Margaret asked as soon as she sat down.

“Neal just asked me out,” she said, as she looked at the group.

Mary Margaret and Ruby squealed at that, while David looked like he had taken a bite out of a lemon.

“I know you’re not happy about it,” she said to him softly.

“I still don’t like him,” David said honestly, “But I trust your judgement, Emma. So if you like this guy and want to go on a date with him, I’m not going to stop you. But if he hurts you, I’m going to punch him.”

“Hush, David,” Mary Margaret said, placing a hand over his without realizing it. “Let the girl go on a date.”

It seemed that David on the other hand, was very aware of her hand, and smiled at the action.

“I’m so excited for you,” Ruby said with a grin as Killian joined their table, sitting down beside her.

David gave him a pondering look and Killian rolled his eyes, “Milah is busy so I’m having lunch with you guys. And even if she wasn’t, I still would want to be eating with my friends. Now why is Ruby excited?”

“Emma has a date,” David said in a surly tone, “With your girlfriend’s cousin.”

“Neal and Milah are related?” Emma asked in shock.

“They don’t talk about it often,” Ruby informed her, “Milah’s family has a falling out with Neal’s father; they thought he was too obsessed with his business and power, and not enough with family. They still acknowledge each other, but they’re not all that close. Milah and Neal run in similar circles though, so it gets hard.”

“That sucks,” she said, as she looked at Killian, and his expression softened as he looked at her. She felt herself wanting to comfort him, as it must could be to feel torn apart by your girlfriend and friends for something as petty as why Milah didn’t approve of his friends.

“It is what it is,” he shrugged. “I try to get along with Neal for Milah’s sake.”

She was about to say something about it but a loud commotion drew her attention.

“Why don’t you ever watch where you’re going?” she heard Regina screech.

Emma looked up to see Regina standing there, with her tray of food on the ground, and Robin Locksley, a teenager in one of her classes, giving her an incredulous expression.

“You walked into me, Mills. But I forgot; her highness can do no wrong can she? Not in this castle which she thinks she rules. Well guess what, Regina, just because your mother is mayor, doesn’t make you the queen of this school. Hell, all you are is the Evil Queen, if anything.”

“Take that back,” Regina hissed, angrily. “You’re not so high and mighty yourself, Locksley. Just because you lead that group of misfits doesn’t make you some sort of hero. Now stay out of my way before I make you regret ever becoming a blip on my radar.”

“Don’t worry, _Your Highness_ ,” Robin rolled his eyes. “I want nothing to do with you anyways.”

And with that, she strutted away, leaving Robin to clean up her mess.

“So much unresolved tension,” Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Wait between those two?” Emma asked in surprise, “They look like they hate each other.”

“Only because they both want each other so badly, but let their pride get in their way,” Killian said with a shake of his head. “You should hear Regina talk about him. Trust me, Love, she definitely wants him.”

“How unfortunate then,” Emma said, with a shake of her head.

“It’s not really any of our concern though,” David cut in. “It isn’t as if she’s been all that pleasant to us.”

“Still though,” Mary Margaret said with a sigh, “I want her to be happy.”

David softened at that, “I know, but if she wants to date him, she need to come to term with her feelings first.”

“Well until that happens, let’s just enjoy our lunch without any more commotions,” Killian said.

* * *

 

She ran down the stairs as she heard the doorbell ring, not wanting to be late on her date with Neal, and to her surprise, Mr. Spencer was downstairs with him.

“You failed to mention you had a date with Neal Gold,” Spencer said, giving her a scrutinizing look as she approached them.

“I’m sorry,” she said honestly, “I should have told you.”

“Don’t stay out too late,” Spencer warned her, “The last thing I need is to hear rumours about your late night outings circulating. I’m sure your father wouldn’t want that either,” he said to Neal. “However I’m glad you’re choosing to fraternize with more acceptable people than those friends you’ve chosen to make.”

“I’m glad,” she said, in a slightly clipped tone, before turning to Neal, “Shall we?”

He smiled at her before turning to her foster father, “I’ll have her back by an acceptable time,” he promised.

“Good,” Spencer said, and Neal helped her put on her jacket as she walked out the door.

“So where are we going?” she asked curiously as they walked down the street towards the town.

“Dinner first,” Neal said, grinning, “How would you feel about burgers and fries?”

She wanted to mention that she was more of a grilled cheese and onion rings kind of person herself, but at the same time was something so insignificant worth mentioning?

“Great,” Neal said, taking her silence to be a confirmation. “I know a great place for them. Besides Granny’s of course. But you need to try it, Emma. It’s absolutely wonderful.

“I’ll take your word for it,” she said with a nod.

He led her down to Main Street, as they made their way to the small restaurant. And when they arrived, Neal sat down in the booth across from her, placing an order for milkshakes, fries, and onion rings, without so much as consulting her as to her preferences.

But still, it was sweet, she supposed; what with him trying to order for her and show her what he liked to order.

Most of the conversation seemed to revolve around him as well. He told her about how his father was controlling at times, and used power to try and get ahead in life. How he started off as a small man, but gained his business when it was thrust upon him by a man not wanting to be associated with a dying commodity, but how he used his new power to turn it around and make himself one of the most powerful men in town. They disagreed a lot because of that, and his mother had passed away early on, so it was only the two of them. He wasn’t all that close to Milah either because of it, but they still acknowledged each other in town when they saw each other. It was also a sore spot with his father that Milah was dating Killian, the son of a local drunkard who had left him and his brother alone at a young age. And Killian and Mr Gold had often butted heads over it as Mr Gold thought Milah could do far better than someone like him with little chance for success.

She didn’t talk a lot about herself. She didn’t really feel like opening up, and if Neal noticed her reluctance to talk about herself and her life, he didn’t seem to say anything about it.

And after they finished eating, he escorted her from the diner and they walked together down the street, his hand in hers. It wasn’t that she minded it per say; but as Spencer said, she didn’t really want to attract any rumours. And in a town as small as Storybrooke, rumours tended to spread far too easily. Emma Swan was a private person, and she didn’t really care for others knowing just about everything about her personal life.

“Milah!” Neal said, giving her a nod, as Emma looked up to see Milah and Killian walking down the street, his arm around her.

“Neal,” Milah said, giving her cousin a soft smile. But that quickly faded as she looked at Emma.

“Emma,” Killian said, giving her a warm smile, “It’s good to run into you, Lass.”

And if Milah’s smile was cool before, it hardened to ice at that, which made Emma want to laugh. Her boyfriend was hardly flirting with Emma, and yet it seemed as if Milah thought otherwise. But it also didn’t stop her heart from racing slightly when she met Killian’s eyes.

But if Neal noticed any of the tension, he didn’t say anything about it.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Neal asked, giving Killian a hard look, causing Emma to wonder if Mr Gold wasn’t the only one who didn’t care for the other man.

Milah rolled her eyes, as she pulled Killian closer. “I’ll see you later, Neal. Have fun on your date with _her_.”

“And you with _him_ ,” Neal said, looking apprehensively at Killian.

“Well it was good running into you, Swan,” Killian said, in a cheery voice. “See you at lunch tomorrow?” he asked, causing Milah to scowl.

“Sure,” she said, trying to ease the tension between the group.

And as Neal pulled her away, she felt herself growing conflicted over all that was happening.

“I really don’t like him,” Neal said as they were out of earshot. “I don’t get why she hangs out with him so much. He’s a loser, just like his father.”

“He’s a good person,” Emma defended, unhappy at his reaction.

“If you say so,” Neal said with a shrug. “Let’s not concern ourselves with him for now.”

“Okay,” she said, not really wanting to start a fight.

She didn’t really say all that much on the way home, but with Neal chattering on, he didn’t really seem bothered by it.

They stopped when they reached the street before hers, and she felt herself growing confused.

“Where are we going?” she asked, as he didn’t say a thing. “What are we doing?”

“This,” he said, as he cupped her face and kissed her lightly, surprising her. “I couldn’t do this in town without someone seeing and telling your foster father or my father. And neither of them need to be concerned with this.”

“Wow,” she said, touching her lips unsure of how to react.

“I’d walk you home, but it’s late and I don’t want to cause trouble with your foster father,” Neal said softly, “The rumours that would circulate as a result might make it hard for you.”

“I understand,” she said softly, as Neal walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

When she gets home, David is waiting on the front steps of his house, and she goes over to sit beside him.

“How was it?” he asked, arms crossed, with a concerned look on his face.

“Good,” she said, even though she was slightly unsure of it all. But at the same time, it wasn’t as if she had gone on all that many dates either, so she didn’t really have much to compare it to.

“I’m glad,” he said placing an arm around her, and she leaned into him lightly. “I’m glad you’re happy, Emma. You deserve that much.”

“Thanks, David,” she said giving him a warm smile. “You do too, you know that? I know you don’t believe me, but Mary Margaret cares about you too. And if you took a chance on her and your feelings, then maybe you be happy too.”

“I should get going,” she said with a sigh, “It’s getting late and I don’t want Mr. Spencer to be unhappy with me for staying out so late.”

“I understand,” David said, kissing her forehead lightly, “I’ll see you tomorrow Emma.”

“Night,” she said, with a smile.

If she hoped Spencer would be in bed by time she had gotten home, her wish was not granted. Instead however, Spencer was sitting in the front sitting room waiting for her.

“You’re late,” he said, looking up at her. “Have a seat, Emma. We need to talk about some things.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling remorseful.

“Neal Gold is a good person to be associating yourself with. With his father backing my campaign, I can go far, so good on you for making that happen,” Mr. Spencer said, giving her a nod of approval, “However it doesn’t go very far if rumours start circulating about you and that boy getting up to no good. Emma, you must put on an act of a well maintained girl. And hanging out with that crowd of misfits you seem to like so much isn’t doing much for me. Make friends with Regina; with Anastasia and Drizella, the daughters of the principal. With anyone who is the status that could help. I hope you understand what I’m asking, Emma.”

“I do,” she said, feeling her voice grow cold. “I understand all too well.” And with that, she turned to return to her room.

* * *

 

She meets up with Killian to work on their group project exactly three weeks after moving to Storybrooke. She’s talked to him a few times, both in class and with their friends, but she’s never had spent time with him alone.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Killian Jones per say; she didn’t really know him all that well. But there was something about him that made her lose her breath whenever she saw him. There as something about him that felt dangerous; like she was playing with fire.

Neal felt safe; someone she could care for, and when she had to leave, move on from.

It wasn’t as if Killian was all that available either, so she was just getting ahead of herself really. He had a girlfriend, one she was reminded of all too often. What with David seeming to disapprove of her at every instance, and Milah constantly glaring at her any time she as much as looked at Killian.

“Swan,” she heard his rough voice say as she looked up to see him holding a bag of Granny’s carry out. “Sorry I’m late. But I figured we would be working on this for a while today, and I wanted to grab some food.”

He pulled out a wrapped sandwich and a container of onion rings and placed it in front of her. She opened the sandwich wrapper gingerly, and almost gasped when she saw a grilled cheese inside.

“How did you know my order?” she asked him curiously as she smiled softly.

“I asked David,” he said with a shrug. “I didn’t want to simply presume your order and you have to eat it out of kindness. I figured I might as well get you something you liked.”

“Thank you,” she said, feeling touched at that.

They ate together, and she asked him about himself while they did so to fill the silence. It turned out that his brother had been raising him, which she had guessed from Neal’s short comments on it earlier. His brother had been in the navy when their father had left, but had taken a leave to serve as his brother’s guardian so he didn’t end up on the street. His father had been a crooked man, something he had no problem telling her as the entire town had already known as much. It had been tough on him and his brother at first, but they were coping.

She had related to that, and told him as much by mentioning the jobs she had held over the years to try and maintain her own account and money. Her foster parents rarely gave her any money of her own, and it had been the only way she could even consider university. And as it currently stood, she barely had enough for a year at community college. She didn’t tell him all of it though; how she was found on the street, or how her foster homes were. People rarely wanted to hear of such things, she had found. It made them feel guilty, and like the system was failing. Which it was; people just didn’t like to feel guilty over it.

They had decided their topic after they finished eating; deciding on studying the science behind comas, and the reasons as to why it could occur. It would be difficult, but if they both pulled their weight it would be reasonable.

And Killian Jones had yet to let her down.

They had been researching to get a proposal to submit for about an hour or so when Milah stopped by the library.

She slid into Killian’s lap, placing an air of discomfort around them.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her softly, as he kissed her back when she greeted him as such.

“I missed you,” she said with a pout, “It’s Saturday, and I wanted to spend some time with you.”

“Emma and I were studying,” Killian pointed out, bringing MIlah’s attention to her. The other girl narrowed her eyes at her and Emma felt herself growing uncomfortable.

She forced a smile as she said, “We have a pretty good starting point for our proposal,” Emma said, as she gathered up her books, “How about we continue this later? You and Milah enjoy your weekend.”

“We will,” Milah said, at the same time as Killian.

“You don’t have to leave, Swan,” he protested.

“I told David I would meet up with him,” she said; it wasn’t exactly true, but the last thing she wanted to do was to make Killian’s relationship with his girlfriend more complicated than it already seemed to be.

“See, she’s leaving,” Milah said with a hair flip, “All the more time for you and me to have some fun, Killian. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out last.”

“We hung out last night,” Killian reminded her as Emma walked away from the table.

She didn’t get all that far when she heard someone sneering at her.

“Emma Swan, resident no body,” she heard Regina say, as she stood in front of her, in heels and her arms crossed. James was a few feet behind her, but didn’t give her any sort of acknowledgement. Instead, he simply looked as if he was too bored to be here.

“Regina,” Emma rolled her eyes, trying to walk past her. The last thing she wanted right now was to have an argument with the girl.

“Off to go find your loser friends?” Regina asked, stepping in her way to stop her.

“What’s it to you if I am?” Emma asked crossing her own arms as she stood in front of the other girl. “Why do you even care, Regina? You said it yourself, I’m a no body. I’m no one to you, I’ve done nothing, nor will I do anything to you. So why do you even care?”

“Because you’re friends with **_her_** ,” Regina said with a hiss. “She ruined my life, and I can never forgive her for that. Isn’t that enough? What other reasons do I need for hating you?”

“Why, because she told your mother about your boyfriend?” Emma asked, curiously. “Seems rather harsh and dramatic to me. The way I see it, she wanted you to be closer to your mother. She wanted the best for you. But it was your mother who paid your boyfriend’s family money to leave you. And it was them who accepted. Sure Regina, there are a lot of people who are at fault for your lack of relationship with your boyfriend, but Mary Margaret is not one of them.”

“She should have kept her mouth shut!” Regina yelled at her, “Who are you to tell me things, Swan? You weren’t there. The only version of this story you know is the one that little witch told you. You don’t know what really happened.”

“Let’s say she did keep it a secret,” Emma said, in a calm voice, “How long do you honestly think it would have been before your mother found out in some other way? Because she probably would have. The only difference is that then you would hate whatever tipped off your mother, and not Mary Margaret. You’re angry at your mother, and you need to understand that. And maybe, if you stepped back from all of this for a second, from your apathy and your hatred, you would see that your love life isn’t over. That maybe, just maybe, there’s someone else who you could fall for. But of course that involves you to stop playing the pity game for long enough to do so. And honestly, I don’t even care if you do. But you need to stop hurting Mary Margaret. She doesn’t deserve this. She’s the sweetest person I know, and she deserves far better.”

If her words got through to Regina at all, she didn’t show it. Instead she stomped off, leaving Emma alone with her foster brother.

“Instead of worrying for everyone else, maybe you should just worry about yourself,” James said in a low voice. “If you think you’re going to be sticking around here for long, Emma Swan, you’re solely mistaken. You’re nothing more than a prop for my father’s campaign. And the moment he wins, you’re going straight back to that group home with all the other misfits like you. You don’t belong here, Emma. You never have, and you never will. You don’t belong in our world, or in any of our lives. And the sooner you accept that, the better. That will make it easier for all of us.”

And with that, James tailed after Regina, leaving her to swallow and digest the encounter she had just faced.


	2. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise with the Spencers, and Emma finds herself wondering just how long she'll be in Storybrooke

She wished she could say that things with her foster family got better. She tried to stay out of the way, and not to raise too much attention. When they were in the public eye or in an interview she would put on the act of grateful orphan and try and paint their life in a good view. She hated it so much, trying to pretend that she was so thankful from the Spencers for saving her from her horrid life. And she was; because the foster family was hardly the worst she had. But it wasn’t easy pretending to enjoy being the charity case.

But that didn’t mean that behind closed doors that things were much better. James made a point out of trying to make her life miserable. He would break plates or ornaments and blame it on her, or he would ransack her room when she was out. He wouldn’t take anything however; just make a mess out of it.

It was hardly abusive behaviour from what she had experienced, but she could tell Mr Spencer wasn’t all that happy with her. And if he knew the truth of the situation, he turned a blind eye to it all. And it was getting frustrating.

So Emma tried to spend as much time away from the house and away from it all. The last thing she wanted was to infuriate her family and be sent back again. She was getting attached, and she knew better than anyone how dangerous that could be, but it didn’t stop her from enjoying her time in Storybrooke. She was growing closer to David, Mary Margaret, Ruby, and even Killian. And she knew she was being optimistic; but she wanted to stay in Storybrooke until she aged out of the system.

She sighed, as she tried to push all the thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t want think about it too much. In all honesty, even if she acted on her very best behaviour, it didn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t be sent back anyways. It was out of her control, and it didn’t do much good to dwell on such matters. Instead, she could focus on enjoying her time in Storybrooke and trying to make the most of it.

But today she had a different mission, and as she sat down at the table next to Killian, he looked up at her in surprise.

“Did we have a scheduled session to work on our project?” he asked her, confused.

“No,” she said, “I wanted to talk to you about something.

“Oh?” he asked her, raising a brow in curiosity. “And what would that be, Love?”

“David and Mary Margaret,” Emma said leaning against the table.

“What about the two of them?” he asked, in an intrigued manner.

“They’re perfect for each other,” Emma said, “The two of them complement each other so well. And in all honestly, I can’t see why they’re not together yet.”

“That is true,” he said, scratching his chin. “The two of them would make a good couple. I’ve been telling David for years, but he’s worried she just sees him as a friend.”

“They’re hardly just friends,” Emma rolled her eyes. “We can all see just how much they both care for each other, and stare at each other longingly when they think no one else is looking. And I think they just need someone to give them a little extra push to show them just how good they could be together.”

He grinned at that, “What do you have in mind, Emma?”

“We start off slow. I talk to Mary Margaret and you to David, and we slowly try to get the two of them to admit their feelings. And then, we move on to stage two, getting them to do something about it. We could try jealousy or even something like just telling them in front of each other that the other likes them, but that would be petty and could end badly. It needs to come from them, willingly. So we get them to do so. There’s a dance coming up, and we leave them with no choice but to go together.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Killian asked her.

“I’m assuming you plan on going with Milah,” she said with a nod, “And with the way Ruby has been flirting with Victor lately, I would hardly be surprised if she gets him to go with her.”

“And you?” Killian asked her curiously, “Neal?”

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. She had talked to him a few times since their date, and she had fun on it. So she supposed them going to the dance with him would be logical.

“So the two of them will end up going together,” Killian said with a grin. “I like the way you think, Emma.”

She sighed, “The only problem is that the dance isn’t for another month or so. And who knows what could happen in that time. What if the two of them try dating other people? Or what if they get into some sort of argument? Or what if-”

“Uh Emma?” Killian interrupted her train of thought, as he looked behind her shoulder. “Maybe you should put a pin in your plans.”

“Why?” she asked curiously, turning around.

She gasped, as there, behind a stack of books, was David with his arms tightly wrapped around Mary Margaret and his lips pressed against hers.

“It seems as David’s beaten you to the punch when it comes to getting the two of them together,” Killian remarked, smirking.

The two of them break apart moments later, and Killian coughs loud enough for the couple to look their way.

Mary Margaret immediately blushes and straightens her skirt, while David looks sheepish. She can tell the two of them debate pretending nothing happened, but walk over to the table as if they were embarrassed of being caught doing something far worse than make out behind a stack of books at the library.

“I can’t believe the two of you got together and didn’t tell me,” she complained, smacking David. “And here I was plotting with Killian, trying to get you together! I had a plan and everything that was going to work and get you together! I’ve been trying to get the two of you to admit your feelings for weeks, and then you go and get together behind my back.”

Mary Margaret laughed softly at that, and David looked at her with a warm expression.

“Believe it or not, it was all your meddling that finally did it,” David grinned at her, “I figured that between you and my mother telling me Mary Margaret cared about me, maybe, just maybe, you were right. So I took a chance and asked her on a date.”

“And when was this?” she asked crossing her arms, “Where did you go?”

“Tacos,” Mary Margaret said with grin. “We went to get Mexican food about a week ago and then at the end of the date, I leaned in and kissed him.”

Emma squealed slightly, and then blushed when Killian gave her an amused grin at that.

“I told you she liked you,” she said knowingly giving David a triumphant look.

“That you did,” David told her with a grin. “Turns out everyone else knew that the two of us cared for each other before we knew.”

“It wasn’t all that hard to figure out,” Emma said smiling brightly. “I suppose I can forgive the two of you for ruining my plan to get you two together.”

Mary Margaret leaned into David slightly, and Emma couldn’t help but feel slightly envious. Things with Neal were good, but it didn’t seem as natural or like she would have the same happiness that her friends did. But she knew she wasn’t going to stay in Storybrooke long enough to fall in love anyway. People like her weren’t meant to fall in love or find happiness that easily. She wouldn’t have a Prince Charming longing after her.

Still, she was happy for her friends. David and Mary Margaret deserved each other, and she knew that they were the kind of couple that would start dating in high school, get married a few years later, and  have a long fulfilling life together. She wasn’t certain of a lot of things in life, but she knew that much.

“Still, we’re grateful to you, Emma,” Mary Margaret said, placing a hand over hers. “If it weren’t for you reassuring us, it could have taken us far longer to have reached the stage we are at now. So thank you, Emma.”

“I’m happy for the both of you,” she said, grinning at them both.

“Aye,” Killian said with a grin, “I’ve been telling you for years, Mate. The two of you are good together. I’m glad you both finally came to your senses.”

“So am I,” David placed an arm around Mary Margaret, “So am I.”

* * *

 

Neal asked her out on another date, and Emma found herself accepting, despite wanting nothing more than to say no.

It’s not she isn’t into Neal, because he’s a nice enough of a guy. It’s that she can tell her time in Storybrooke is limited. She can tell her foster family is growing sick of her, and in the past sixteen years, Emma has gotten good at being able to tell when it’s almost time to leave. She’s learned to recognize the signs of when her foster families want her to pack up her things and be sent back.

And on top of that, it doesn’t help that she can tell Neal is more into the idea of her, than who she actually was. In the few times she’s talked to him since their date, he’s taken more interest in telling her about himself and his likes over asking her about her own. And it feels superficial in a way.

But she found herself agreeing to go on a date, if anything to be able to know for sure that she doesn’t wish to have a relationship with him and to tell him straight away that she wants to put an end to the two of them being anything more than friends, if even that much.

He picks her up from her house, this time driving the car he told her his father had bought for him when he turned sixteen. He doesn’t bother to come inside, and Mr Spencer doesn’t bother to ask her where she’s going if he even cares enough to find out. She’s sure it’s the latter; while he’s made it abundantly clear that he likes Neal, he’s also hasn’t pretended to care anymore for her friends. And after her confrontation with Regina, James has put in her foster father’s head that Emma’s taken to terrorizing the Mayor’s daughter.

Despite the fact that Regina approached her first, and wouldn’t quite let her leave without confrontation.

She pushes all the thoughts of such matters out of her mind as she smiles when she gets in the car.

“So where are we going?” she asked him, curiously. Storybrooke wasn’t exactly a large enough of a town that they needed to drive anywhere that they couldn’t easily get to by foot.

“It’s a surprise,” Neal grinned at her, and she feels slightly anxious about the situation. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Neal, but she was getting a weird vibe from him. And when he stops in front of the school, she looks at him, confused.

“Why are we here?” she asked him, as they get out of the car. He takes her hand in his as he pulls her behind it, and she pulls her arm away from him. “Neal, what are we doing here? Why did you bring me to the school?”

“I think we’ve talked plenty,” Neal said, voice lowering, “I know all I need to about you, Emma. But don’t you think it’s time to get to know each other on a, well, _more personal level?_ ”

“What are you talking about?” she asks, squinting at him. “Neal, you barely know anything about me. You talk about yourself all the time. What do you mean by more personal level?”

He wraps his arms around her waist, and she tenses up slightly. “I mean, I think it’s time we got to know each other up close,” he said, stroking her face slightly with one hand as the other is on her hips.

She took his hand off of her waist, and pulled away from him.

“Neal, I think you’ve gotten the wrong ideal about us-” she starts to say, but before she knows it, his lips are on hers and he’s pulled her body against his.

“Stop!” she said, pulling away from him instantly after the kiss began. “Neal, what are you doing? I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked her, eyes darkening, “Do you think you’re fooling anyone, Emma? With that innocent act of yours? I know you want me too, Emma. You can stop pretending that you don’t. Now how about we skip all the talking, and just go with the flow?”

“What? No! Neal I don’t want to date you. I don’t want to make out with you, or do whatever else you think I want to do. Now, I’m going home,” she said, trying to pull away from him.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Neal growled, and she felt her heart stop.

“I believe the lady said she wasn’t interested, Mate,” she heard a dark voice say and she turned around to see Killian and Milah standing there, Milah looking unhappy.

“Killian, let’s just go,” Miliah said, giving Neal a look. “They look like they could use some alone time. I hardly think we should be interrupting them, do you?”

Killian gave her an incredulous look, “Milah, Emma looks uncomfortable, and like she doesn’t want to be here. I hardly think she wants to be getting busy with your cousin right now.”

“Stay out of this, Jones,” Neal gave him a warning look. “Just because I tolerate you for Milah’s sake doesn’t mean that can’t change at any moment. Now go home and leave me and my girl alone.” He grabbed her wrist at that, and Emma felt herself growing angry.

“I’m not your girl,” Emma pulled away furiously. “I’m leaving, Neal. And in case I wasn’t clear before, we’re over. I want nothing to do with you. Now leave me alone.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Neal said, trying to grab her again, and Emma closed her fist, punching him in the face.

“I believe she said she was leaving,” Killian said, moving in front of her. “Milah, I’m going to make sure Emma gets home alright. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Don’t,” Milah said, looking pissed, “I can’t believe you, Killian.”

“We’ll talk later,” Killian repeated, as he wrapped a coat around Emma.

She follows him as he leads her away, slightly worried that Neal is going to come after her and stop her from leaving. Punching him probably wasn’t a good idea, considering just how powerful his father was, and she knows it probably won’t help her home situation.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, when they’re out of earshot. “He didn’t do anything, did he?”

“No,” she said, shakily, “You showed up in time to stop anything like that from happening. Thank you, Killian. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t show up when you did.”

“You looked like you had a pretty good handle, considering that punch you gave him,” Killian smiled at her, “But seriously, don’t worry about it. I’ve never liked Neal all that much; always thought he was a spoiled snot. But he’s Milah’s cousin and I didn’t want to make things difficult with her.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said, sounding remorseful. “I’ve probably made things difficult with her for you, and that wasn’t my intention.”

Killian waved it off, “I don’t know how she’s standing by his actions. It was very clear that you were unhappy in that situation, and for her to be annoyed at me is completely unreasonable. You’ve done nothing wrong, Emma. None of this was your fault. And honestly, if anyone tries to paint it like you were in the wrong, then I’ll gladly defend you.”

“You’re a good guy, Jones,” she laughs weakly, and Killian gives her a worried look.

They walk in silence for the rest of the way home, and she can tell Killian is sneaking glances at her to make sure she’s okay. If it were any other day, she would find herself annoyed, saying she probably could have handled the entire thing by herself. But she knows Killian’s a good guy; he’s become something of a friend to her.

David is waiting for them both on his porch when they turn onto her street, pacing around, and she gives Killian a confused look. It’s clear that he knows something is up, but she doesn’t know how he knows.

“I texted him,” Killian said, softly, “I hope that’s okay. I know how close the two of you are, and I was worried about you, Swan. I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay.”

“Thanks,” she said, and before she can say anything else, David is pulling her into a crushing hug.

“Are you okay?” he asked her in a worried tone, “I never did like Neal Gold, and this just proves it. He didn’t do anything, did he? I’ll kill him if he did.”

“I’m fine,” she forces a smile, trying to reassure him. “Killian helped me.”

David’s eyes soften as he looks at the other guy, and says, “Thank you, Killian. I’m so glad you were there and stopped anything bad from happening to her. I don’t know what I would have done if he had hurt her.”

“It was nothing, really. I should head out,” Killian said sheepishly, scratching his ear. “Emma, text me if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, as she watched him walk away.

“He’s a good guy,” David said, giving her a look.

“He is,” she agreed, “Milah is very lucky to have him.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her as he placed an arm around her again. “It’s okay if you’re not, Emma. No one will think lightly of you for being shaken up.”

“I will be okay,” she said nodding, more confidently this time. “It’s definitely over between me and him now. And if he tries anything, I’ll be ready. I’m just worried he’s going to tell his father I punched him, and Mr Spencer will find out about it.”

David snorted, “He won’t, trust me. He has too much pride to tell his father what happened. I’m sure you’re safe in that regard.”

She sighed, “I hope so.”

“Come inside,” David said, ushering her. “Let’s get you some hot chocolate and cookies. I’m sure my mother will be worried too.”

She smiled gratefully, as she followed David into the house.

* * *

 

If she’s worried about rumours spreading the next day at school, then it would seem her fears were unfounded. When she shows up, no one mentions a thing about what happened with Neal. His face appears to be free of bruising, and she wondered if he was using make up to cover it up so his father didn’t find out.

She supposed she should feel about it; she probably shouldn’t have used violence. If he did report her, no one would think twice about sending a foster kid to juvenile detention. Hell, it probably would be the first thought to cross any police officer’s mind when investigating the case, over figuring out what actually happened. And it most certainly wouldn’t help that his father was as influential as he was.

She was so close to being out of the system and free from it all; she couldn’t afford to screw it up now.

So she was grateful for that much. Not that she would exactly go about thanking Neal for not telling; not when he had tried to take advantage like he had. She definitely wasn’t about to talk to him any time soon, and she was grateful they had such different friend circles that she wasn’t forced to confront him if she didn’t want to.

And if James or Mr Spencer have any idea what’s happened. She wouldn’t be surprised though if they had no idea of the truth and were oblivious to it all. It would be a small mercy that they didn’t know of her humiliation as she was sure they would blame her for causing a disturbance and the bad press that she was sure would come out of allegations that Mr Gold’s son harmed the foster child of a Senator candidate. It definitely wouldn’t be pretty, that much was for sure.

And when Killian joins them at the lunch table, without so much of a glance at his girlfriend when she walks by with Regina and James, she can’t help but glance curiously at him. For usually when he joined them, Milah would send glares their way, or even try and get Killian to join her instead. But the radio silence has her wondering what happened.

“Killian?” David asked, getting his friend’s attention, “Is everything okay with you and Milah?”

“We broke up,” Killian said, shrugging as he attempted to look apathetic to it. But she knew better than anyone to recognize the signs of someone who was faking being okay to put on a strong front, when inside they felt nothing but pain and sorrow. Hell, she knew it too well.

“Why?” Mary Margaret asked, gasping slightly. She knew David had filled in Ruby and Mary Margaret so she didn’t have to, and she was grateful. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them to know, because she knew they deserved to; she just didn’t want to talk about it anymore than she had to. Because of course one of the first people she opened her heart to would let her down in such a monumental way. If anything, it served as a reminder that people like her didn’t get happy endings; she wasn’t destined for the whole fairy tale romance.

“We had a disagreement,” Killian said, shrugging, as he tried not to make a big deal out of it.

She felt her heart sink, as she had a very good idea of just why the two of them broke up.

“It was because of me, wasn’t it,” she said, in a pained voice. “She wasn’t happy that you stood up for me.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Emma. She wasn’t happy that I intervened at all,” Killian said in an angry voice. “She thinks I intervened because I didn’t want the two of you to be together. Not because it was abundantly clear that you were unhappy in that situation. She’s so caught up in her own jealousy that she failed to see that Neal was trying to hurt you. So I broke up with her.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, in a pained voice. The last thing she wanted was to hurt others because of what had happened to her. It wasn’t fair that she showed up in this town and seemed to be hurting all of those around her.

“You did nothing wrong,” Killian said firmly, as he stared at her, “Emma, Milah and I have been rocky for ages. She hated my friends, disliked that I didn’t like hers. She thought that I didn’t put in enough of an effort, and we fought about almost everything and anything. I think we both only stayed together this long out of obligation over anything else. And in all honesty, I’m not all that broken up about it, so you shouldn’t be either.”

“Is it inappropriate if I say that I’m glad you broke up with her?” David questioned. “I really never did like her. She didn’t suit you, Killian. You deserve someone who likes you for who you are, and not someone who tries to change who you are for their own gain. You deserve so much better than her. For her to dislike your friends because of some petty fight Regina is picking with Mary Margaret is just sad and immature.”

“You’ll have no arguments from me there, Mate,” Killian said, taking gulp of his soda. “If anything, I feel relieved that we’re broken up. I can finally pursue what I want now.”

And in that moment, she could have sworn she felt his eyes burning into her, causing her to take a deep breath of air.

The rest of their lunch passed uneventfully, with the group just talking amongst themselves. And when Mary Margaret mentioned that Regina had taken to simply avoiding her, it didn’t take much for her to realize that it was her talking to the other girl about her friend which had sparked the change in behaviour. And she was glad for that; maybe it meant Regina would be coming around to forgiving Mary Margaret. She wasn’t sure the two girls would be friends again, but at the very least, a truce would make all their lives quieter.

She sneaks glances at Killian throughout the lunch, trying to make sure that he actually is okay. She believed him when he said that he and Milah were on the outs for a while; anyone who looked closely at their relationship could have seen that much. But at the same time, she could tell that he cared about Milah, and it couldn’t have been easy for them to have ended their relationship. From what she understood, the two of them had been together for a while, and she knew that he had loved Milah, at least in the beginning. So for it to have been a clean break would have been a lie. She knew he was probably hurting over the incident, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty for it all. After all, if it weren’t for her, he’d probably still be with MIlah, even if he was unhappy in the relationship.

But still, when he looked at her with warmth, she feels her heart flutter slightly, and she struggled not to let it affect her. She knew that now, more than ever, she should avoid any other situations in which she could get hurt again in. And Killian was dangerous; because the more and more she got to know him, the more she wanted to keep him in her life. It was different than it was with David or even Mary Margaret; she didn’t think of him in a familial way.

One thing was sure, when it came time for her to leave Storybrooke, it would be hard for her to leave the people she had grown close to behind. And that worried her, because it was starting to feel like she had found a home here.

* * *

 

Of course the truth eventually does leak out. Not all of it, definitely not that she punched Neal. But that the two of them had a conflict behind the school. No one knows what happened exactly; neither she nor Neal bothered offer up information, but one thing for sure is that two “couples” walked into a situation, and four single people walked away.

And the rumours spread far because she came home from school less than a few days after the incident, to see Mr. Spencer sitting in an armchair, waiting for her to return.

“Have a seat, Emma,” Mr Spencer said, in a calm voice, as she dropped her bag by the door. She nervously approached, having a very good idea just what was about to happen.

“How have you been finding your time in Storybrooke?” he asked her, as she sat across from him.

“Good,” she said, in a slightly shaky voice. “Everyone here has been so nice to me.”

“So why is it, if everyone has been so pleasant to you, that you insist on causing so much trouble?” Spencer asked her, voice rising ever so slightly. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you confronted Regina Mills? Or that you punched Neal Gold behind the school? Just because Neal might not want anyone to find out, doesn’t mean people can’t learn the truth. Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you’ve been running around our calm town, and upsetting the balance? Emma, I told you! This is a small town; every indiscretion, every little upset can cause my poll numbers to slip. And I hoped that bringing you in would raise my numbers, but if anything you seem to be harming my campaign. What do you think would happen if people found out about your fight with Neal? Think about the bigger picture; it’s not about the two of you. It would become about Mr Gold and I having a conflict. It would become about Cora Mills and I having a conflict. Both of whom are long-time associates of mine. The last thing I need is to run my relationship with the two of them. I told you very clearly to associate yourself with a good crowd. And yet you seemed to find all of the low bottom feeders and befriend them.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, knowing how her actions had ended up harming the man. She might have disagreed with him on many things, but he had fed her and provided him a home, and in a way she had let him down. “I never should have gotten involved with Neal in the first place, or punched him. I thought he was going to hurt me; he was going to hurt me.”

“Yet you responded with it. You left proof of what happened. Proof that can be used against me,” Mr. Spencer said, without as much of a concern of what had happened to her. Because like she had known since coming to Storybrooke, he only cared about one thing; public perception. He didn’t care about her, or what happened to her. Hell, she would be surprised if he was even cared about the fact that her friends had helped her through all of it; the friends he hated so much because they were “bottom feeders”.

“So where does this put us?” she asked, swallowing.

“I obviously can’t keep you,” Albert Spencer shook his head. “Who knows what more damage you’ll do to my campaign if you stay? No, I’ll issue a statement saying that you were a troubled kid who needed full time support, and a man who works as much as I do is in no position to do so. In fact, I think I’ll make it part of my campaign to find foster kids loving homes.”

Emma wanted to laugh, incredulous that he was going to use her as part of his campaign even when she was no longer in the picture. It was incredible really, for him to manage to do so. So instead of responding, she ran out the door. He’s already decided to kick her out, what difference did it make if she tried to be polite?

And she ran straight across the street, tears falling down her face as she throws her arms around David. She’s furious at herself. She knew better than anyone not to get attached, yet she went and got comfortable in the life she had here, with David, Mary Margaret, Ruby, and with Killian. And her heart broke at the thought of leaving.

“Emma?” David asked, as Ruth came over to see what was the matter, “What’s wrong, why are you crying?”

“I’m leaving,” she said softly, as she pulled away.

“What do you mean?” Ruth asked, gasping.

“Mr. Spencer is sending me back,” she sniffled, “Apparently I’m a bad influence on his political campaign and am bringing down poll numbers.”

“That’s ludicrous,” Ruth said, patting her back, “You’re a person, not a publicity stunt.”

“I’m so sorry, Emma,” David said, holding her tighter, “I wish you didn’t have to leave. I’ve started to think of you as family.”

“As have I,” she said softly, “You and Ruth have been so wonderful to me, and honestly, it’s going to be so hard to leave this all behind.”

“Obviously you won’t be leaving anything behind,” Ruth said, causing Emma to look at the woman in shock.

“What do you mean?” Emma questioned.

“Well the social worker has to come here to pick you up, right? I’ll have a talk with her when she does. David’s not the only one who has started to think of you as family,” Ruth said warmly, “If you’ll have us, Emma, I would love to take you in. It might be complicated to sort out the paper work, but I’d hate to think of you in some horrid family. You, David, and I can be a family.”

She feels her eyes welling up again and Ruth pulls her into a hug. David is grinning brightly as he said, “Looks like you’ll officially become the sister I never knew I wanted.”

“You changed it,” she said, through a watery laugh.

“I might not have known I wanted you as a sister before you came here, but honestly Emma, I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” David told her, and she starts crying, unable to hold it back.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said, swallowing hardly.

“It’s settled then,” Ruth says, and she begins to clean the house, trying to make it presentable.

The social worker shows up a few hours later, and Emma’s bag had been placed at the door, ready to kick her out. The lady seems displeased, it is one of the shortest amount of times she’s spent in a foster home, and it’s a new record for her. She can tell the woman had hoped Emma would manage to stay at the home for at least six months, meaning she wouldn’t have to deal with Emma for a little while.

“Okay, into the car, Emma,” the social worker said with a sigh.

“Just one moment,” Ruth said, stepping in front of Emma. Mr Spencer looks worried by the turn of events. It hardly would do good for his campaign for Emma to be taken in by a known family in the same town.

“Yes?” the social worker says in a bored tone. The whole thing was probably delaying her from whatever life she wanted to get back to.

“I want to take Emma in,” Ruth said firmly.

“And you are? Are you even qualified to be a foster parent?” the lady asked, confused.

“Ruth Nolan,” she said, “And I’ve been qualified for about a month. I put in request a while back. You see, Emma has become something of family to me, and I’d hate for her to get lost in the system when she could have a good home.”

“I’ll have to make some calls,” the social worker said, sounding a little unsure. It was hardly common for someone to be so willing to take in a foster child as such.

“You do that,” Ruth said, “In the meantime, David can you take Emma’s stuff up to her new room?”

David grinned as he picked up her suitcase.

“What do you think you’re doing? Spencer says, his face turning red. “You can’t just take Emma in. Do you know who you’re messing with?”

“I know that Emma deserves a loving home,” Ruth said, looking at the man with a raised nose. “And I know you failed to give her that. Now, please, step out of my face. You’ve terrorized this town for long enough, don’t you think? I won’t allow either of my children or any of the people we care about.”

Spencer looked like he was about to say something, but is cut off by the social worker coming back after her phone call.

“Everything checks out, Mrs Nolan,” the social worker says, flustered, “Emma, give me a call if you need anything. But otherwise, you’re good to stay with the Nolans.”

Ruth hugs her tightly at that and Emma feels like her heart is racing. For the first time ever, she finally feels like she has a home.

* * *

 

She expected it to feel weird at first to move in with David and Ruth, but if anything it was the most natural thing she had experienced. She gets used to it quickly; to waking up to a nice smelling breakfast which she can eat, bantering with David. She bonded with Ruth, as the woman took her shopping and taught her how to bake. She gets used to having movie nights on days when neither she or David have a lot of homework, and to falling asleep when she gets exhausted, without having to feel unsafe or worried about her actions.

But still she panicked over things that she had been worried about in the past. She worried when Ruth spent money on her, or when David carried her up to her bedroom when she fell asleep. The first time she broke a glass, she started trembling instinctively, wondering if it would be enough for them to decide they didn’t want her anymore. She worried she was getting too comfortable. Just because they had taken her in didn’t mean they couldn’t change their minds. They could send her back at any given time.

And they must have sensed her discomfort, because Ruth and David sat her down one day, insisting they talked about it.

“Emma,” Ruth said, placing and hand on hers, “We’re not going to send you back, Darling. I know you’ve been worried about it; I can see it in your body language. But David and I genuinely like having you in our homes. I know it’s only been a short time, but I already consider you to be my daughter.”

“I could hardly blame you if you did. It wouldn’t be the first time my mother gave me up,” Emma said, shaking slightly.

“What do you mean?” David asked, looking at her with concern.

“I was found on the side of the road,” Emma said looking down. “My own parents didn’t even care enough about me to take me anywhere where I could have been safe; not a hospital, not a police station, or any other public location. They threw me out like I was litter. I could have died and no one would have known. So if you did want to give me back, how could I blame you?”

Ruth pulled her into a hug, “Emma, you are loved. You are loved by so many people. I’m so sorry such a horrible thing happened to you in the past. You’ve had a hard life, and no one can deny that. But we love you, and the two of us want to keep you around. I promise, I won’t send you back.”

She wanted to argue, saying promises can be broken. She had known her fair share of broken promises after all. She was used to being lied to, cheated, and left broken.

But there was an earnest look in Ruth’s eyes, and Emma’s lie detectors weren’t signaling anything.

So Emma took a deep breath, and decided she was going to take a chance. Because in the chance that Ruth and David did keep her around, she knew she could have been truly happy.

“I believe you,” she said softly, and David grinned at her.

“Good,” David said firmly, as he kissed her on the forehead. “You’re stuck with us, Emma Swan, for as long as you want to be.”

* * *

 

The town is confused about what happened; all of a sudden the good Senator who took in a foster kid whom he gave up for being far too much work, and Ruth Nolan had taken her in. And everyone could tell Emma was thriving; she was keeping out of trouble, and seemed to be doing well in her courses. Which seemed to spark quite a few articles on the prospective Senator’s motivations for taking in a foster child. And if he couldn’t handle someone like Emma, who clearly was surviving, how could he handle a state?

She doesn’t let it bother her though; if anything, she has her friends who have been nothing but supportive, and if anything extremely enthusiastic.

She knew Killian and David were friends before, but somehow living with the Nolans, she begins to understand just how close the two were. Liam, Killian’s older brother, worked long hours trying to keep a roof over their heads. And Killian worked a part time job, but she learned that his brother insisted that his education came first, and that he could worry about contributing to the household when he was older. So as a result, Killian was often left with a lot of free time while his brother worked. And most of the time he was over at their house, hanging out with both her and David.

And she found herself growing closer with him. He would come over even when David was out on a date with Mary Margaret, and the two of them would argue over movies or work on their assignment together.

She learned a lot about him, that he enjoyed sailing, and wanted to own his own fishing business when he was older so he could be at sea. She learned that his eyes would light up whenever he talked about anything he was passionate about. She learned he was also a huge nerd at heart, and would argue back on opinions he felt strongly about.

She learned that her feelings for Killian might not have been as platonic as she hoped they were.

It had been exactly a month since she had moved in with Ruth and David when she came into the den and decided to put the boys to work, chopping down a tree in the backyard that had been dying slowly for the past few months.

David had rolled his eyes, teasing his mother about the hassle, but kissed her cheek, promising to do it. Killian on the other hand had jumped at the chance to help to try and help.

And so Emma found herself watching them both from the kitchen window, as Killian attempted to swing the axe.

“You like him,” Ruth observed as she took a sip of her tea.

Emma turned around and tried to cover her shock, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, trying to stop her cheeks from turning red.

“I’m talking about the fact that you, Emma Swan, have feelings for Killian Jones,” Ruth raised brow. “And don’t tell me I’m wrong. I know my children well enough to know when they like someone.”

She felt a lump in her throat at that, but didn’t say anything.

“He just got out of a serious relationship,” Emma said, “And on top of that, what if something goes wrong and it ruins our friendship? What if that tears our group of friends apart?”

“You can’t live in fears of what-ifs,” Ruth said softly, “Sometimes you just need to take a chance and hope for the best. And Killian is good for you, Emma. Do you think I haven’t noticed that the two of you have been spending time together? Or that you’re always visibly happy after? Take a chance, Emma. And if it goes wrong, then at least you gave it your best shot.”

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“David,” Ruth called out through the window, winking at Emma, “Can you come help me for a moment? Emma, take this lemonade out with you, will you?”

She rolls her eyes at her foster mother, but smiles despite it, as she picks up the pitcher. David gives her a confused look as he comes in to see what his mother wants.

“Thanks, Love,” Killian said, as she poured him a glass and handed it to him, “I needed that.”

“You look like you were working hard,” she said, smiling, “But that tree doesn’t seem any closer to be falling down.”

He raised a brow at her, “Oh? Do you want to give it a shot lass?”

“Maybe I do,” she grinned, taking the axe from.

“Hold the axe like this,” he said, trying to show her, and she started laughing.

“No wonder the tree is still standing, if you’re swinging like that,” she teased, as she swung once and made a dent in the tree, far deeper than he had before.

He looked at her stunned, but broke into a grin, “Well done, Swan! It seems you have a far better handle on this than I do.”

“Clearly,” she said, handing him back the axe. “Now, place one hand at the base of the axe near the head of the axe.”

He started to move his hands, but looked at her in a confused way, and she shook her head.

She wrapped one arm around him, to position his arms carefully, and she suddenly became aware of just how close the two of them were.

It seemed that he realized as well, as he had a slightly darkened look about him.

“Are you flirting with me, Emma?” he asked her breathlessly.

“And if I was?” she said, taking a breath in.

“Then I would tell you that I quite enjoy the feeling of being in your arms, Swan,” he said moving closer to her.

She was about to say something, anything, when David opened the back door, and the two of them jumped apart quickly. If David noticed anything, he kept his mouth shut. And for the entire remainder of the evening, she could swear that her heart didn’t stop racing.

* * *

 

Luckily for her, the rest of the semester passed by without incident. In a matter of months, she stopped being such a fascination to the people of Storybrooke. Of course there were still rumours from time to time as there were with all residents in a small town.

When Albert Spencer lost the election by a landslide, a news story came out showing how Emma was thriving in her new environment when Spencer claimed her to be too much work.  There was also a detailed article about all his lies and illegal transgressions which contributed to her loss.

Sure, he had tried to get her sent back so the town would forget about her, but there was nothing that could prove that Ruth was a poor foster mother, seeing how Emma was doing better than she had in any of her other homes.

And she really was; she loved living with Ruth and David, and she was slowly growing more and more comfortable.

She held her backpack as she moved through the crowds of the hallways, trying to navigate towards the cafeteria, when she let out a slight gasp.

There, in the middle of the hallway was Regina wrapped up in Robin’s arms, as she kissed him fervently. He looked content as well and Emma couldn’t help but smile to herself. It seemed to her that Regina had decided to take a chance on love again and found herself with someone she truly could have been happy with.

So she grinned brightly, as she headed towards the cafeteria, sliding next to Killian.

She wished she could say that there had been progress with him, but in all honesty, there hadn’t been. They flirted from time to time, but other than that, they seemed to be at some sort of stalemate. She wanted to say that she didn’t want to jump him every time they met up to work on the assignment. And with having handed it in over a week ago, she quickly felt herself worrying that she was running out of reasons to hang out with Killian alone instead of in a group.

Mary Margaret seemed to have noticed the tension between the two of them, and while David and Killian were busy one day, she sat Emma down, curious to know if she did indeed have feelings for him. She had blushed at that, and begged her friend not to tell her brother, knowing fully well David wouldn’t be happy to see her dating again, after what happened with Neal. Mary Margaret had grinned at that, and told her that David just wanted her to be happy, and that he probably would be glad that she had chosen Killian out of all people.

“The weirdest thing happened today,” Mary Margaret commented, looking a little confused herself, as she glanced at the table. “I spoke to Regina today.”

“Oh?” Emma asked, wondering if it had anything to do with the sight she had seen earlier.

“She apologised,” Mary Margaret said, smiling, “She said she realized that it was wrong to blame me for what happened, and that she knew now she was wrong. And she wanted me to forgive her for being horrid for the last few years. Of course I apologised again; I still feel so guilty about what happened back then. I should have trusted her and kept it quiet.”

“Are you two friends again?” Ruby quirked a brow.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, “I doubt we can just jump back into being friends again, but maybe someday? It’s a start at least.”

“That’s great, Lass,” Killian grinned as he leaned forward, brushing Emma’s shoulder slightly.

“Yeah,” David grinned placing an arm around Mary Margaret, “Of course she apologised; you’re too kind of a soul to hate, Mary Margaret.”

His girlfriend blushed at that, and Emma couldn’t help but grin at her friends.

* * *

 

They didn’t get their project grades back until the next day at the end of class. She could feel herself dying, waiting for the lecture to be over, and Killian was giving her looks to show how bored he was as well. She wanted to laugh, but she was afraid that the sound would draw their teacher’s attention, and earn them a lecture.

She sat up when their teacher announced he would be handing it back and she looked over at Killian in anticipation and nervousness. They had worked hard on the subject, and she wanted to do well on it.

As the teacher placed their essay on Killian’s desk, she leaned over, touching him lightly as he flipped it over to reveal the grade.

“We got an A!” she said excitedly, as the bell rang to dismiss them from class and to lunch.

“We did,” Killian grinned as they headed into the hallway, “Well done, Love.”

She wasn’t quite sure what possessed her to do so, but in her excitement, she threw her arms around Killian. He stiffened slightly, before moving his hands to hold her tightly in his arms. And when he looked into her eyes, she felt her heart stutter.

But she was tired of running away from her feelings; she was tired of wanting him and not having him. So she took a deep breath and stood on her tip toes, leaning upwards as her mouth met his softly.

He let out a groan, as his lips crashed against hers, as he kissed her back desperately.

They pulled away moments later, and she stared into his eyes, wanting to gauge his reaction.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he said breathlessly. “Emma, I really like you.”

“I really like you too,” she said holding him tightly, “I don’t want to run from you anymore, Killian. I want to be with you.”

“What are you doing Friday night?” he asked, stroking her face lightly.

“Going on a date with you,” she teased, and he grinned at her.

“I knew I liked you for a reason,” he said, slipping his hand in hers as they made their way to their next class.

* * *

 

She goes home and shows Ruth the grade while holding a wide grin; granted, the grin might be more because of Killian, but she’s still proud of it nonetheless.

“Killian and I got an A,” she announced, handing the paper to Ruth. She offered to let Killian keep it, but he had grinned brightly when she mentioned wanting to show it to Ruth, and insisted on letter her keep it. When she had argued, he had placed it in her hands, and promised her that he would keep the next assignment.

“Well done, Emma,” Ruth said pulling her into a hug, “I’m so proud of you.”

She took the paper from her and placed it on the fridge. Emma wanted to scoff at how cheesy it was, but the truth was she was more than happy to have her paper on the fridge as it showed just how much of a family she had.

Ruth’s face looked concerned for a second, and Emma couldn’t help but wonder what it was.

“Is everything okay?” Emma asked, sitting down at the table.

“I got a call from your social worker today,” Ruth said, “She wanted to check up that everything was still okay.”

Emma felt her heart sink; was this the part where Ruth told her that it turned out she didn’t want her after all? Just when Emma had begun to feel comfortable in her home, she was going to be thrown out again.

“I want to put in paper work to adopt you, Emma,” Ruth said softly, looking at her, “I’ve spoken to David about it before, and we both agree that you’ve become family to us. And neither of us want to see you go. I want to make you a permanent addition; it wouldn’t change anything between us if you didn’t want it to, but I want it to be official.”

She felt her eyes tear up slightly, knowing that Ruth meant it.

“Thank you,” she said softly and Ruth pulled her into a hug. “It means a lot to me that you want to keep me. I think of you and David as my family, and I just don’t know what else to say.”

“I’m glad,” Ruth said hugging her tightly, “You’ll officially be my daughter. You don’t have to call me ‘mom’ like David does if you don’t want to, you can still call me Ruth if you’d like.”

“I-” her throat closed, “I’d like to call you mom if that’s okay. I already think of you as one.”

“Did she accept?” David asked, barging into the kitchen, “Do I officially get a sister?”

“You do,” Emma said, grinning at her almost brother. “You’re stuck with me forever now.”

He rolled his eyes at her, but pulled her in tightly as he kissed her forehead, “I’m glad you accepted,” David said to her softly, “I quite like having you around.”

“I do too,” she said softly, “This place feels like home.”

* * *

 

She falls in love with Storybrooke a bit more each day. At sixteen, if anyone had told her that she would be happy living in a small town, she would have laughed and said they were wrong. At sixteen if anyone had told her that she would find a family, friends, and a boyfriend, who loved her, she would have told them they were dreaming. But she had, and honestly, Emma couldn’t imagine her life without them.

The Spencers stay out of their way, and for that Emma is grateful. She is grateful to them for bringing her to the town and introducing her to the Nolans.

She graduated Storybrooke High two years later after moving to the town. At eighteen, she had the world at her feet, ready to take it by the reigns.

She didn’t want to go far for school, it wasn’t as if she saw herself working in a job that needed a lot of education. But she wanted to have some sort of degree to back her up.

So she headed to a local community college with David to get a degree in Criminology, while Ruby studied business and Mary Margaret went to teachers college. Killian had been opposed to going to college or university, wanting to get a job to help his brother out, but Liam had put his foot down, saying if he had a full education, that Killian would too. Liam wanted his brother to have a chance at having a career he would actually enjoy, and not just something to make money. And so Killian found himself studying marine biology, at a university just down the road from her.

Regina on the other hand had decided to enter a career in politics, hoping to make Storybrooke  a better town, and Emma is proud of the girl despite their history.

She had been nervous to move out at first; she might have been living with Mary Margaret and Ruby, but she missed living with Ruth. And she could tell her mother had missed her too, as she insisted on coming down every weekend and making them a family style dinner, and on days she couldn’t, she and David drove back to Storybrooke from Portland.

And honestly, when she graduated and moved back to Storybrooke, it was one of the happiest days of her life.

David doesn’t move back home when they go back; instead he settles on moving with Mary Margaret. He confided in her later that he intended to propose and she gladly accompanied him when he went ring shopping; not in Storybrooke however because there was no keeping secrets in a town that small.

But she doesn’t feel comfortable moving in with Killian just yet. It’s not that she doesn’t love him deeply, because she does; she realized she loved him a few months into their relationship but she waits to tell him until just before senior year. He’s it for her, and she knows that much, but it doesn’t stop her from being terrified. What if moving in ruined their relationship? What if he realized he didn’t love her anymore?

Ruth talks her through her fears a few months after she returns. She’d taken a job as a local deputy under Graham, the local sheriff, with David by her side. Ruth helped her work through her fears, and had promised her that nothing had changed; she would always have a home with her.

So she springs the question on Killian while on a date. She’d been nervous, shaking slightly, but she wanted this, she wanted him. And he grinned at that, pulling her into a kiss. He had wanted to ask her to move in since they got back, but had been nervous about scaring her away.

They begin looking for flats immediately, and she can’t wait to begin their lives together. She loved him more than anything, and it doesn’t change when they move in together. If anything, she loved him move. She loved waking up next to him each morning, and she loved falling asleep in his arms each night. She loved making meals with him together. She loved him, and she’s glad that they’ve decided to make this step together.

And when David proposed to Mary Margaret, she’s ecstatic. Her friend obviously agrees, and she watches the two of them stare at each other lovingly, without a care in the world. She’s gaining a sister, and as much as she loves her brother, she can’t wait.

Her friend begins planning immediately, and Emma grows exhausted just thinking about it. She and Killian haven’t talked about marriage just yet, but she wants something simple for herself.

She’s happy with the progress their relationship is taking. They’re happy, and in love.

When he does propose, it’s a year later, and they’re walking together on the beach barefoot. He stopped just before a certain point, turning her to show her writing in the sand. She’s confused at first, as she looked down to make out what the writing says.

And when she read it, she gasped.

There in the sand are the words “ _Emma Nolan, will you marry me?”_

It’s encased in a heart, and she looks up to see Killian on his knees, holding a ring in his hand.

“It’s my mother’s ring,” he explained to her, “I wanted Liam to use it; he’s been seeing Elsa, and I think they could be serious. But he insisted I take it as he was lucky enough to have more memories than I, and it was the least he could do.”

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes, looking into his eyes.

“Emma, will you be my wife?” he asked her, “I love you so much. That day when you first entered the classroom, I felt like my life had changed. There was something about you that left me wanting to get to know you. And I fell for you, hard, Emma. I’ve loved you for years, and I want to love you for the rest of my life. I want to have you by my side, through the ups and the downs. I would go to the edges of the world for you if you’d let me.”

There are tears falling down her face at that, and she nods at him, “Yes, Killian, yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”

He slipped the ring on her finger and she threw her arms around him.

And as she hoped, they have a simple wedding by the sea. Liam officiates it, as with Killian out of school, he’d rejoined the Navy as a Captain. Ruth and David walk her down the aisle, and Mary Margaret is her maid of honour, with Ruby as a bridesmaid.

They’d barely been married six months when she finds out she’s pregnant. Killian is ecstatic, and she’s worried, but excited. She knows she has a support system here, and she doesn’t have to go through it alone. She’s had a good life compared to most foster children.

And when baby Henry David Jones is born, she can’t stop staring into his beautiful eyes, which he got from his father. She names her brother and sister-in-law the godparents, and she swears he’s growing like a weed.

Liam is three when Eva Ruth is born, and her daughter has her curls. She’s precious, and when she watches Killian cradling Eva while reading to Liam, she feels like her heart might explode from happiness.

But still, there is a nagging feeling in her chest, and she finally sits down with Killian to talk to him.

“I want to foster a child,” she told him softly, “I can’t stop thinking about just how lucky I am, and I want to make sure there is at least one less child in the system.”

He looks at her, eyes softening, “Of course, Love. We’ll fill out the paperwork in the morning.”

Lily moves in with them less than a month later, and she’s reserved. She reminds Emma of herself in a lot of ways, and Emma is patient with her. She gives the girl space, and shows her nothing but support. And when Lily is willing to listen, she tells the girl of her own life and struggles. She tells Lily that she too can have a home here, but only if she wants it. Slowly, Lily opened up to her, telling her of her life and struggles, and less than a year after Lily moves in, Killian and Emma file adoption papers for her.

They have a good life together, and she’s happy. It’s a far cry of what the girl who first came to Storybrooke could have ever hoped for.


End file.
